Our country Ethiopia has been registering high economic growth. Its industries and various activities of the economic sector run on utilizing various energy sources. As power is a fundamental issue, a sustainable and reliable energy supply is crucial to the country’s socio-economic push and development endeavors in all walks of life. The country’s manufacturing and service industries cannot run without sufficient energy.
Above and beyond, the number of the country’s industries is ever mounting. Other economic activities have also been increasing from time to time. As such plants depend on energy, diversifying and widening other energy alternative sources will further stimulate and facilitate the establishment of new industries and socio-economic activities. Besides, while investors tend to invest on a project, as a prerequisite, they put the availability of power supply. However, unless power supply’s reliability and service quality are ensured, the country’s economic development will not run smoothly and progressively.
Furthermore, Ethiopia has set out to effect a Climate Change Resilient Green Economy and zero carbon emission by 2025. Hence, the country places special focus on and puts in place a lot of favorable conditions and good working environment for developers to participate in the energy sector. As part of its thrust towards this noble end, the country has become exemplary in developing solar energy.
What is more, the nation considers that developing renewable energy has become central to the economic development and poverty alleviation strategies. Thus, expanding solar energy in rural and off grid areas, apart from becoming an alternative energy supply source, helps enhance economic activities, ensure energy security and develop green economies. It as well will have a great impact on watershed and natural resource management duties.
Indeed, Ethiopia is gifted with a huge renewable energy potential, which are found in all states. As studies indicate the country is a high heaven for renewable power development and ideal for developers.
Hence, seeing to the exploitation of solar energy in the rural areas of the country has multifaceted advantages. It ensures rural communities’ quick access to power supply and activate other cottage industries. Besides, Ethiopia has become exemplary in embracing Climate Change Effect Resilient Green Economy. Hence, harnessing solar energy assists the country in reducing carbon emission.
Furthermore, Ethiopia currently is working hard to become East Africa’s power hub. Towards this end, it constructs various hydro power and similar plants. On top of fulfilling its domestic consumption, Ethiopia has planned to supply power to neighboring countries and earn foreign currency from the energy sector.
In this context, nowadays Ethiopia is engaged in promoting the use of solar energy to replace fuel-based lighting in far flung corners of the country, rural households, and to meet off-grid electrical needs. Recently, it has planned to construct several solar energy projects in four areas of the country. They are expected to provide power to rural dwellers. They as well are expected to boost the socio-economic development of rural communities.
However, the current level of rural communities’ energy accessibility does not seem to be to the required level. Due to low level of awareness about the potential and value of energy the life of rural communities, not well off in socio-economic situation, could not be improved fast.
But rural households get the greatest portion of energy from biomass origin and firewood, charcoal, crop residues and cattle dung cakes. These household sectors, being the major consumers of energy in the country, are putting pressure on the natural ecosystem by militating against the forest resources and affecting food self-sufficiency as they take most of the residues from farms and fields.
According to documents, the development of solar and wind energy resources is not encouraging. Although there are some efforts by the private sector, the approach followed by most of them does not seem convincing for many customers. Many of the products on the market are affordable to the majority of society but are not properly promoted to attract customers who could afford to buy them. Lack of information on potential demand centres is also one of the major constraints to the development of these resources.
Moreover, currently Ethiopia expands and diversifies its energy sources. It can develop the culture of harnessing resources for development. It has established solar panel production factory with the objective of producing solar panels and substitute the one being imported. Moreover, the nation has a plan to make power accessible to rural areas using renewable energy sources and minimizing the use of fuel and other biomass, firewood and charcoal to effect a green economy strategy.
In sum, as the majority of the Ethiopia’s population live in rural areas, solar energy, being an alternative to electric supply, can greatly replace fuel-based lighting and off-grid electrical supply.
During Growth and Transformation Plan II (GTP II) for 2015-2020, Ethiopia has planned to beef up its electricity generation capacity.
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